


Rebirth (previously Begin Again)

by AlessandraDC



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW Comics), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-09-24
Packaged: 2018-07-15 22:57:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7242217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlessandraDC/pseuds/AlessandraDC
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>These are short drabbles from the IDW-verse. The first four are each focused on one brother. Some very mild Leorai and Apriltello... Feel free to leave me prompts or suggestions, if there's anything in particular that you'd like to see. Thanks!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Repeat

**Author's Note:**

> Leo is plagued by memories of a previous life.

_His wrists were tightly bound, rope digging into flesh. Rain pelted his face and soaked through his shirt to make the wet fabric cling uncomfortably to his skin. He felt his rain-slicked hair sliding from where it has been tightly bound to spill down his neck and onto his shoulders. A shiver visibly ran through his body before he could suppress it and it earned him a hard shove from behind. Sensations kept flooding him, even as he struggled to understand what was happening and where he was. His knees, raw and wet from the thick mud, throbbed._

_He turned his head to see three other boys, kneeling in the slick mud and bound like he was. Their equally dark hair was matted by the rain, clinging to their cheeks. The boy next to him dressed in shades of red was looking straight ahead, not sparing a glance anywhere else. Eyebrows set in a determined scowl. Watching him, the word unbreakable came to mind. Beyond him, the boy wearing a light purple shirt was speaking in hushed whispers to the last boy, who appeared to be the youngest. This last boy sobbed without restraint. His loud wails sailed into the sky and fell upon the ears of the man kneeling and bound across from them. Eyes are said to be a window to the soul, and if that is indeed true, then this man's revealed a sea of loss and regret. The man held his gaze for a moment, and a deep yearning stirred within his being, but their gazes were broken as a large shadow fell over them. Another man stood before them. His presence, almost diabolical, stirred some spark of recognition, but it was gone before he could grasp at it. The evil man, for that is most certainly what he was, turned to the kneeling, sad, man and began speaking. At first the words made no sense, then finally, understanding dawned on him._

_"-Yoshi, bear witness to the consequences of your betrayal." The man gestured towards the four boys._

_Turning, his eyes were drawn over his shoulder and he realized that there were men standing behind each of them. Men clad in black, waiting executioners, standing as still as statues with swords raised high. The youngest boy's wails increased and he felt the impulse to pull him into a protective embrace. His body twitched and he very nearly started to rise, before an iron clad hand landed on his shoulder, stilling any motion._

_"Silence, boy," spoke the man standing and his hate for that young boy was thick and palpable. He motioned with his hand. The sound of steel singing through the air cut through the wails, and the sobbing ended abruptly. He could see out of the corner of his eye, the boy's body slumped forward gracelessly into the mud. Blood seeping into the ground._

_He struggled in earnest now against his bonds. Heart pounding in his chest, limbs trembling. The hateful man turned to the remaining boys and repeated his hand gesture.  He looked over his shoulder to see the sword glinting and cutting slowly through the air. The blade pierced the flesh at his neck, before he could even scream, and then he was falling._

 

Leonardo jolted upright violently and his body went crashing to the ground in a tangle of sweaty blankets wrapped around his legs. His plastron and chin struck the ground hard and he could taste blood in his mouth. He stayed motionless, allowing his cheek to press into the cold ground, slowing his breathing and the pounding of his heart. A wave of nausea swept through him, but it was gone just as abruptly as it had come.

 

Leo knew the dream was a flash of his life before. These memories kept coming at him in violent vignettes that threatened his sanity. Sometimes he remembered the laughter of boys playing and his mother's tender kisses. Unfortunately, these memories were much more fleeting. It also seemed that this affected only him. None of his brothers seemed to have any recollection of growing up in Japan or having their lives robbed so early. Leonardo was mostly thankful for that.

 

His bedroom door suddenly flew open and he could see his genius brother standing at the doorway. Donatello's eyes fell onto the empty bed.

 

"Donnie." Leo lifted his hand to catch his brother's attention, "Here."

 

"Leo!" Donnie rushed to his side, nearly tripping over him in the semi-darkness. "I heard a loud noise. Are you okay?" He crouched low, peering into Leo's face.

 

Leo rolled so that he was on his shell. He reached down and pushed the blankets away from his legs, "I'm fine. Don't worry."

 

Donatello reached for his brother and rested a hand on his forehead, "Leo, you're clammy. Why don't you let me check your temperature?"

 

Leo brushed his hand away and stood, gathering the fallen blankets. He moved to sit on the bed, "I said I'm fine. It was just a dream. I didn't mean to wake you."

 

Donatello sat next to his brother. There was silence for a moment, then he said, "You know, I've heard you other nights. You’re having an awful lot of these dreams. I wish you'd let me examine you."

 

Leonardo looked at Donnie with a frown, "Don, geez. I'm not sick, ok?" He sighed before continuing, "It's those memories…" He did not want to continue. Leo and Don did not disagree on many things, but this was one of those things.

 

Donatello sat back, putting some distance between them. He had heard Leonardo talk about this before, just briefly. "Leo…"

 

"Don, I know what you think. We've been over this," Leonardo suddenly stood and began pacing in front of Donatello. "You saw her though. You saw mom too. You're the only other one." He paused for a moment to look at his brother, "Isn't that enough to make you believe?"

 

Now it was Donatello's turn to sigh, "Look, Leo. Let's be honest. I don't know what I saw. I was practically dead." He watched his older brother wince at the reminder. It was another sore subject among the two of them. A contingency that Leonardo had not planned on and it nearly cost him his brother. "It could have been any number of things that caused what I thought I saw. People say they see a white light or a tunnel, and it's usually-"

 

"Alright, just stop Donnie," Leonardo crossed his arms and stood rigidly in front of his brother. "I can't have this conversation right now. It's too early. Let's, um - let's save it for tomorrow, alright? I'm tired." Leonardo's heart clenched painfully. He really could not bear to talk to Donatello at this very moment. Having just witnessed Michelangelo's body falling lifelessly and heaping on Donatello's disbelief and probable doubts about Leo's stability, as well as bringing up one of the worst recent moments - nearly losing Donatello - it was simply too much. Leonardo was on the verge of fearing for his own mental health.

 

Donatello watched his brother carefully for a second, before letting his gaze fall back down to his feet, "Oh, ok, Leo. Just wanted to make sure you were okay." He stood and prepared to leave. Donatello really was worried about his older brother, but he knew when not to push. Sometimes he was surprised at how much Leonardo believed in this past life that they had allegedly lived. It seemed almost uncharacteristic of someone he considered to be logical. Then again, Mikey seemed to have learned Japanese overnight. So, in summary, Donatello was still unsure of what to make of everything. He was certain of one thing. His older brother was slowly cracking underneath it all. And would their family even know when it happened? "Good night, Leo."

 

Leo stood still, rigid with arms crossed, staring at nothingness. He did not even raise his head when he replied softly, "Night, Don." Donatello shut the door behind him, leaving the leader's bedroom shrouded in darkness.


	2. Respite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brothers enjoy a little bonding time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly ridiculous fluff, with a dash of angst. IDW-verse, but I did borrow a little from 2003, and maybe a Batman/TMNT reference.
> 
> SPOILERS for IDW #50 and after.

Raph, Leo, and Don had surprised Mikey with pizza and a bro-night. Just the four of them, hanging out. No business.

 

"Alright, come on Mikey, fire up Pony Racers. I'm gonna kick Leo's butt," Raph said through a big mouthful of pizza. Then proceeded to wipe his hands across his thighs. "Then I'm going to kick all your butts."

 

"Yeah, whatever," Leo retorted, as he used the _napkin_ to wipe away the sauce from his fingers. Raph grinned at his big brother, "Is that the best comeback you got, Leo?" Leonardo rolled his eyes, but smiled softly.

 

"I've got winner!" Donnie declared.

 

Mikey grinned at his brothers and turned on the game console, "You guys know I'm undefeated, right?"

 

"You're going down today, Mikey!" Raph was the first to grab a controller and flopped onto the couch unceremoniously. His three brothers piled around him and after much elbowing, shoving, and grunting, Mikey ended up on the floor, sitting against his brothers' legs. "Hey! How come I get the floor?" Mikey mock complained.

 

It seemed like an eternity since they had all spent time together like this, when in reality it had probably been a month or two. But when you are as close as Mikey was to his brothers, it _was_ an eternity without hearing Raph's teasing, Don's rambling, and Leo's lecturing. Ever since Sensei became Master of the Foot Clan, there had been a growing rift between the brothers. Mikey just could not wrap his head around their father's decision and he refused to have any part of it.

 

The Foot Clan was a gang, a crime syndicate. Regardless of his father's intentions; how noble could the Foot's mission ever really be? And now his big brother was _chunin_. Again. They had fought to rescue him from the same fate just a year ago. And when they recovered Leo, he was mentally broken. Damaged. _And here we are again_ , Mikey thought. He was not sure Leo had or would ever recover from his time with the Shredder. Mikey could not help but feel anger towards his father for putting his big brother in the same position. Sensei had not asked Leo. Or Raph, Don, or Mikey. He had made his choices and let his sons deal with the fallout. And maybe it was unfair to direct his anger at his father, but Mikey could not help himself. He was suddenly pulled from his bitter thoughts as Leo jumped to his feet, jostling Mikey.

 

"No! No! No!" Leo jerked back the controller trying to keep his racer on the course, but lost control and his character went careening over the edge for at least the third time. Leo groaned loudly, while Don, Mikey, and Raph burst out into snorts and laughter.

 

Raph, laughing the loudest, yelled, "In your face, Leo!" He flashed him a smug smirk, "Give it up, you're done." He nodded at his olive-skinned brother, "Don, you're up."

 

Donatello held out his hand for the controller, clearly trying to keep a straight face, "Aw, Leo. It's ok. Video games are just not your thing."

 

"Don't pout, Fearless," Raph added. "Good leaders don't pout." Leonardo glared at Raphael, but surrendered the controller to his genius brother. The blue-banded turtle then sat heavily on the couch with arms crossed, trying his best not to actually pout. Mikey chuckled and turned his attention to Donatello and Raphael, who were already shouting at each other.

 

"This is more like it!" Raph cheered, as he and Donnie raced each other in a close match. After a few moments, Donatello's racer sped ahead of Raph's, holding the lead. 

 

"Oh yeah!" Don cheered as he raced towards the finish line. Raph leaned over and tried to snatch the controller from his brother's hands, while still keeping his racer on the track. "Uh-uh," Don's superior reach easily held the controller away from his red-banded brother. Just a moment later, his little racer sped over the finish line to grab first place. Donnie jumped up with arms held high over his head, "That's right, Raph! Victory-" Before Don could get another word out, Raph tackled him to the floor. Both Mikey and Leo were laughing.

 

"It's all right, _Raphie_. Why don't you join me on the sidelines?" Leo patted the couch next to him with a big grin. He could accept losing, in video games at least, especially when he could rub Raph's face in his own defeat. The hothead growled at him and Leo said, "Now who's being a sore loser?"

 

Raphael took a seat next to his big brother and shoved his grinning face away. Mikey and Don took their spots in front of the TV, too pumped with adrenalin to sit, with controllers in hand.

 

"It's the ultimate showdown," Mikey said in a deep voice. "Brother versus brother-"

 

Don shot his brother a side glance and chuckled, "Shut up, Mikey."

 

The brothers' two characters raced, vying for first place and trading often. Leo and Raph were both cheering in the background. Leo was clearly team Mikey, while Raph cheered for Don. After a few minutes all four brothers were on their feet, yelling simultaneously. Don's racer was at the finish line, and just as he was about to cross, Mikey's racer flew by knocking Donnie's character off course. Cheers and groans erupted among the brothers.

 

"What?!" Don shouted in dismay. "How'd you do that?!"

 

Mikey shrugged and said smugly, "Secret move. That's why I'm still the champion." He pretended to bow to the crowd, blowing kisses and waving. Raph grabbed him by his bandana tails and easily yanked him into a headlock. Mikey reached out, calling for Leo's help. He knew big brother would always, well - almost always - come to his aid. Leo tried to pry Raph off Mikey and of course Don came to Raph's rescue. Before they knew it, all four were wrestling across the floor.

 

The wrestling match devolved into a laughing fit and they all ended up sprawled on their backs, panting out of breath. And it was perfect. Mikey wanted this moment to last forever. No worries. No Foot. No Purple Dragons. Just them. Brothers. The moment was shattered when Leo finally stood and reminded them of their responsibilities. Of course he would.

 

"Sorry, Mikey. I have to get back to Sensei. I have to train the new recruits in the morning and we need to meet before-" he stopped himself when he saw the look in his brother's eyes. "Yeah, anyway. I have to get going. You guys coming?" He gestured at Raph and Don as they reluctantly climbed to their feet. Mikey jumped up quickly and embraced each of them tightly. His big brother held him for a few minutes longer and met his eyes when they pulled away, "Take care, little brother."

 

Mikey nodded sharply. He wanted to throw his arms around his brothers and keep them there, but even if he did, that would change nothing. There were still some fundamental differences in their thinking, about what path their family should be walking. Mikey's heart twisted painfully as he released his big brother and called a cheery, "Night bros!" to their retreating backs. Don gave him a last wave and smile and the three of them disappeared through the Lair's entrance. Mikey stood watching the darkened doorway for a few minutes before flopping back on the couch. The screen was still flashing "1st place," while fireworks lit up the background. 

 

"Yeah, not so much," Mikey grumbled and turned off the console.


	3. Reminisce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raphael is getting used to the idea of being a part of something bigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T for Raph's language in a couple of spots.

Yesterday he was not sure who he was. Today. Today, he has three brothers and a father. Today, he has a home. He has friends. He has a name. _Raphael_.

                                                                                 ***

Raphael stood in the doorway to the small room that had clearly been designated for meditation. Beautiful Japanese scrolls hung on the walls, depicting peaceful scenery of rivers flowing past tree groves or water cascading. A small copper dish on the floor was filled with incense that was slowly burning away. The smoky tendrils rose through the candlelit darkness. The smell was slightly overpowering. His eyes landed on the blue-banded turtle who sat perfectly still in the lotus position. Hands rested lax on his knees. Leonardo's eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and deep. Raphael was torn. He did not know if he should interrupt or try again later. After a few moments of indecision, he turned away opting to speak with the other later.

"Did you want to join me for meditation?" Raphael was startled slightly by Leonardo's voice. He turned back to face the leader of this small clan, who was now looking up at him, "No, thanks. Meditation's not really my thing."

Leonardo nodded slightly and gestured to the floor across from him, "Do you want to sit? You don't have to meditate."

"Sure," Raph sat cross legged and as soon as he did, he was not sure anymore why he wanted to talk to Leonardo. There was a stretch of silence that felt uncomfortable to him, but if the leader felt it too, he hid it well. Leonardo watched him with gentle eyes and smile, as if he was knowingly waiting for Raph to gather his thoughts.

Raphael cleared his throat, "Why did ya- I mean, how did ya know to come lookin' for me?"

"Oh", Leonardo paused. "I thought you talked to Splinter about this," he folded his hands onto his lap.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I did, but you were the ones that actually found me. How did you know I was your brother?"

Leonardo gestured at himself, then Raphael, "Who else would you be?"

Raphael rolled his eyes a bit, "Yeah, I get the mutant turtle thing, but what if I was just like some nobody?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ok," Raph took a deep breath and repeated his question, "So, I mean, how did you know that I was your brother, on the inside, y'know? That my human spirit - your brother's - or what-the-fuck-ever was in this body-" Raphael felt like he could not get the words out or his thoughts straight. The whole situation seemed like some universal prank. A big ugly joke. "Oh you know what, forget it. I can't believe I'm even askin' this. It sounds even more freakin' ridiculous coming outta my mouth," Raphael started to rise. He was not sure what to think about suddenly being part of this group, this family. And did he even want that? He had no recollection of this person sitting in front of him, or a mother, or father. Or anything really, except for the past few months wandering the city streets. A firm hand wrapped around his arm and he looked back at Leonardo, who smiled gently, almost sadly.

"I just knew," Leonardo said and Raph looked at him incredulously. "The moment we found you, I knew you were our brother. It's like all the pieces fell into place. Once we found you, the picture felt whole." The leader's voice never wavered, like he had no doubts whatsoever. In Leonardo's eyes, Raphael belonged and there was no question about it.

Raphael watched the other turtle for a moment, digesting his words, and although he really could not remember Leonardo, he could not deny a tug of belonging, of rightness. But maybe he was not ready for that yet.

"Uh-huh, sounds like some bullshit," Raphael brushed away the hand on his arm and missed the slightly hurt expression flash across the other turtle's eyes. "Sorry that I bothered you. Why don't you go back to whateva' you were doing?" He turned away and hurriedly walked out of the room wondering if he was really the missing piece to this family.

* * *

Raphael found the purple-banded turtle and watched him for a minute before approaching. He was sitting at a work area, pieces of some device scattered across the surface, but his attention was clearly on the computer screen in front of him. He looked over his shoulder suddenly and caught Raph staring.

"This is fascinating!" He said turning back to whatever he was reading.

Raph approached still keeping his arms crossed over his plastron, "What is?"

"Oh, this experiment," the olive skinned turtle gestured at the article in front of him, "It's the most precise measurement of the Higgs boson mass-"

"Whoa, whoa. Stop right there genius boy," Raph held up a hand before the turtle could continue. "The what?"

"Oh, the Higgs boson… Uh, the god particle?" Raphael shook his head. "It is believed to give mass to all elementary particles-" Raphael held up a hand again and raised an eye ridge at the turtle. "Oh, right. Ok. It's kind of like the link to the beginning of life. All life. It's a pretty significant discovery."

"Hm," Raph watched the other turtle carefully, listening to his dumbed-down explanation before interrupting. "What about us?" 

Don spun in his chair so that he was fully facing Raphael, "What about us?"

"Where's our god particle?"

"Well, we are as bound to the laws of science as any other being on this planet," Donatello explained matter-of-factly. "Our origins are the same as the origins of other life. I mean at a strictly molecular level. Not, uh, not existential…"

Raph acknowledged that he was listening, "Ok, then what about this whole reincarnation business? How do I know you are not messing with me? What do you think? Am I really your brother from another life?" He sort of snorted at the end. The words still sounded so wrong.

Now Donatello crossed his arms and sat back in his chair, tilting it slightly so he was looking up at Raphael, "There's a lot of questions there and they all have different answers." He paused, "Are you sure you want to know what I think?"

Raph nodded. If nothing else, this turtle was smart. Smarter than the rat, smarter than the blue-banded turtle, and most certainly smarter than the runt with the orange mask.

"Well, first, we are definitely not _messing with you_. Why would we? No offense, but you don't really have anything to offer us, like money or such. Second…" He met Raphael's eyes, "I don’t believe that we've been reincarnated. There is no empirical evidence to suggest that this is a possibility. However, I do think you are our brother. You are a mutant derived of human and turtle DNA. The probability that you would have mutated independent of us to have the same anatomical and physiological features is highly improbable. Not impossible, but very very improbable. So, uh… welcome to the family?" Donatello smiled at him then.

Raphael thought over what had just been said. It made sense to him. He could accept it. Maybe the whole reincarnation thing was junk, but he was definitely one of _them._ "Ok, Donatello."

"Donnie" he offered.

"Don," Raph responded. Not quite ready to get too cozy with the other turtle, "I can work with that."

 

* * *

Raphael was sitting on the couch trying to relax and watch TV, but he kept looking up to catch Leonardo and Splinter averting their eyes momentarily. He was about ready to punch Leonardo in the face, when the youngest turtle appeared. He stood in front of Raph completely blocking the TV.

"You want to come with me and pick up some pizza?" he offered.

Raphael reached up and pushed the turtle out of the way, "I'm trying to watch some damn TV." Of course he caught Leonardo's eyes for a second and decided he did need some fresh air after all. He growled under his breath and turned off the television. Michelangelo was grinning at him excitedly. "Fine, let's go."

"Alright," the orange-banded turtle headed for the door and paused to throw on some outdoor gear. Raph stopped too to put on his hoodie and leather jacket. He turned back to Michelangelo to find him wearing a Russian-style winter hat, ear flaps and all. It was the goofiest thing he had ever seen.

"What the hell is that?" Raph gestured at Mikey's head.

Michelangelo grinned again and pointed at his head, "Oh, this? It's my most favorite hat, of course! Donnie found it when he was digging for parts."

Leonardo who was clearly eavesdropping, _the jerk_ , said, "Mikey, it's your _only_ hat."

Mikey shrugged, "And I'll never want another one. Besides, it keeps my ears warm."

"We don't have ears, doofus," Raph responded with a scowl.

"Ear holes? I dunno. I like it," Mikey turned back to the door and waved at his family. "You ready, Raphie?"

"You call me that again and I'll pound you."

Michelangelo looked back with an even bigger grin, if that was possible, "Is Raph alright?" he asked cautiously.

"Yeah, come on. Let's get going before we get old standing here," Raphael pushed Mikey out the door. "So where are you going to get this pizza? Ya just gonna stroll into the restaurant?"

"I've got a hook up," Mikey said. "You'll see. I can't wait for you to meet Woody!"

"Is that your boyfriend or something?" The two of them were walking side by side down the darkened tunnels. Raphael had no idea where Michelangelo was headed so he allowed the other turtle to lead the way.

Mikey chuckled, "No, he's my inside man."

"That didn't sound any better."

"Dude, he's the pizza delivery guy," Mikey explained, clearly excited. "Woody is really cool. Plus he's about my only friend. I mean, aside from April. But she's like a family friend, you know?"

Raphael nodded even though he didn't really know. He had heard the name April and he knew she was their human connection, like Casey, but he had yet to meet her.

"So what's the deal with you and pizza?" Raph had seen the stack of empty pizza boxes back in their kitchen and Leonardo had quickly placed the blame on their younger's brother's obsession.

"It's the perfect food. It's got grains, protein, veggies-"

"Veggies? I have not seen you eat a single pizza with any vegetables."

"It's got tomato sauce. That counts," Mikey argued.

"No, I don’t think it does, Mikey."

Michelangelo paused to look at Raph for a moment and a huge grin broke out over his face, "You called me Mikey!"

Raph paused for a moment, with arms crossed, and frowned, "So? What's the big deal?"

Mikey decided not to acknowledge the question. He grabbed the red-banded turtle's arm and pulled him towards a ladder leading up to a large grate, "You're my new bro. We're doing bro things!" He started climbing the ladder and stopped for a moment to look back at Raphael, "I can't wait for you to meet Woody!"

"Yeah, you said that already," Raph reached up to grab a rung. "Move your butt. I don't want to stare at your ass all night." Mikey started climbing faster and Raphael allowed himself a smile. Maybe having a little brother was not too bad. After all, he could look forward to beating up Mikey whenever he got too annoying. Isn't that what big brothers do?


	4. Relax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Donnie/April bonding.

April attempted to push away thoughts of Casey and their earlier fight out of her mind. What was wrong with wanting Casey to better himself? To go to school? Not everyone had that opportunity and he was ready to throw it away. Just the thought of it made her angry. What others would not give for that opportunity? She had decided that the best escape at the moment was to visit her friends in the lair. Although she really was not sure if they would be there, since most of the turtles had now relocated to Foot headquarters. April had also contemplated going to see her parents, but they _liked_ Casey. She knew her parents had already pictured April and Casey's wedding, and grandkids. They had brought him in to their lives without even asking April first. Hell, they loved Casey, and it would be difficult to break the news to them.

Once she arrived at the lair, April was pleasantly surprised to see all the brothers together. They were gathered around a battered television set and large couch. She quickly set aside her troubled thoughts and greeted the brothers. Raph was reading Modern Ninja and gave her a quick nod over the top of his magazine. Mikey managed to tear his gaze away from his video game long enough to offer a cheerful, "Hey, April!" and Leo laid his book on his chest to look up and offer a warm, "Hi, April," followed by  "Donnie's in his lab". She smiled back at Leo and gave his shoulder a quick squeeze as she passed by. April loved all the brothers, but there was no denying that Donnie was the closest to her out of all of them. She entered her friend's lab to find him seated at his desk.

"Hey Don," April greeted. "Oh, hey April!" Donatello pushed away from his desk to peek around the desktop at her.

"Whatcha doing?" April threw her bag and jacket on the nearby loveseat and plopped onto the desk chair next to Donnie's.

"Oh, just going over these algorithms… you know, trying to get Metalhead back in working order," he rolled back toward the desk and April followed. She pulled up next to him, shoulders barely brushing against each other, as she leaned towards the screen to look over the information. He made a gesture at the screen, "Be my guest. I've been staring at this for so long, there's probably something right under my nose that I'm missing." April rested her elbows on the desktop and picked up a pencil while she scanned over the information. She chewed the eraser but paused for a moment to take a sip from Donnie's still-cold soda. She set it back on the desk away from the computer and after a few more minutes, pointed to a couple of lines, "Here. It looks like you may be missing some variables, but I don't think I can focus enough right now to figure out what they are specifically."

Donatello had been silently watching his friend scrutinize his work. Had it been anyone else, he would have felt the need to defend himself. He and Harrold could argue for hours. But he never felt that way with April. She had been a kindred spirit since they met. No one got him like she did. Donatello turned his gaze back to the screen, "Hm, yeah, I see what you're saying. I'll have to go back over that later," He rubbed a hand across his forehead, "Thanks, April. I should have you proof all of my work! It's nice to have someone with some education around here-" Donatello turned back to her with a smile to have it slowly fade from his face at her sad expression. April was not sure why, but his words had triggered something and she could feel her composure slowly crumbling. Donatello paused for a moment, "Was it something- Did I-"

April shook her head slowly, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "Is it Casey?" She nodded silently. Donatello already knew that she and Casey had their struggles, and he was very perceptive. Of course Donnie would figure it out quickly. "Is everything ok?" he asked. April shook her head again. Donatello immediately grasped one of her small hands between his much larger ones, "Do you want to talk about it?" She sniffed and finally said, "We split up, but I really don't want to talk about it. Ok?" It was Donatello's turn to nod. He reached over and turned off the desktop. He crossed the room and dug out a couple of rebuilt laptops and handed one to April. She looked at him questioningly.

"Break time," Don said as he fell into the nearby loveseat with the laptop. He nodded at her, "Fire it up."

April wiped her nose and eyes with some tissue and tossed it into the small trash bin sitting next to Don's desk. She carried the laptop over to the loveseat and, after pushing her bag and coat aside, dropped down to sit next to the turtle. April shifted in the seat trying to find a comfortable position and settled on crossing her legs, one of her knees resting on her friend's thigh. She finally opened and turned on the device, "Alright, what are we doing? Not sure I can look over more math now."

"No, I said _break_ time," Donatello said.

"I never know what that means with you. Some light trigonometry?" April teased.

Don gave her a mock scowl, "Very funny." He reached over to her keyboard to click a couple of buttons and what was clearly a game screen popped up. April gave him a side glance, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly into a smile, "Really Donnie?"

"Hey, it'll be fun"

"Strangeness, huh?" April chuckled softly.

"It's great. Harrold is on too."

"Oh really? So, how do I do this?" April asked. Donatello reached over again and started typing. She smacked his hand away, "I can do it. Just tell me."

"Sorry I thought- Well, Leo tried to play once and couldn't figure it out."

April laughed a bit, "Yeah, well, that's no surprise." Donatello quirked an eye ridge and chuckled softly. They leaned closer together, heads practically touching, as he explained to April how to make a new character and join his campaign. The two friends spent the next couple of hours laughing and playing Strangeness. Thoughts of Casey Jones did not enter April's mind again that night. 


	5. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking place sometime during City Fall - Karai interrupts Leonardo's training of the Foot recruits for a spar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I can't resist Leorai and it was a chance to write a little more of an action scene.

Karai stood back silently watching the scene unfolding before her. Her eyes followed the arc of the katana as it cut cleanly through the air to strike against the Foot soldier's _manriki_. She watched the turtle expertly twist his wrist, wrapping the chain around the blade. In a flash, the student was disarmed. The turtle spun quickly and kicked out, sending the young man flying back with a loud grunt. He struck the wall and slid to the floor, where he remained motionless. Other recruits spared glances back towards their teammate, but did not dare step out of line. The turtle was rumored to be ruthless towards any sort of insubordination.

Leonardo faced the group and paired off the recruits. Their assignment was to disarm each other as quickly as possible. He stood rigidly, hands clasped behind his back watching his students, when Karai strolled up next to him.

" _Chunin_ , you are doing well with the recruits," she watched him out of the corner of her eye. Leonardo turned his head slightly toward her, "Karai. Can I help you with something?"

"I just came to observe," she said with a small smile, "and learn. I have heard so much about you from the recruits, and I had to see if the rumors were true."

"Rumors?" he chuckled dryly, "I can only imagine what they are saying about me."

Karai caught the slightly self-deprecating tone in his voice. It was true. She had heard some recruits speak in slightly frightened whispers about the new _chunin_ and his strangeness. But Karai was not afraid or repulsed. On the contrary, she was intrigued. Leonardo was born from the shadows. And yet he wielded his swords like no other she had ever seen and his spirit was fierce and pure, if that was even possible in the midst of this clan war. She hated her Master for corrupting what Leonardo was, and she hated Leonardo for embracing it so readily. Despite his nighttime terrors, to which she had been a witness to; Leonardo had assumed the role of _chunin_ beautifully. As if it had been meant to be; perhaps in another life. She placed her hand gently on his forearm and asked, "Will you spar with me, Leonardo? Let's show these recruits what a real fight looks like."

Leonardo turned away from her to look back over the students. He watched them silently for a minute, surely contemplating her suggestion. "Alright," came the reply and he stepped away from her drawing one of his katanas. Karai took a few steps back and slipped the _nekote_ over her left hand, as she slid the _tanto_ into her right. She stood poised for a moment, watching Leonardo spin the blade in his hand a few times, the surrounding lights glinting off the steel. The turtle stilled, raising the sword in a ready stance. Their eyes locked for a moment, before Leonardo made the first move. He thrust his sword at Karai in an obvious attack and she spun away from the blade. She returned his thrust with one of her own, coming in from the outside of his body. He sidestepped her attack as easily as she had his.

The two warriors circled each other once again, before advancing. Swords cutting through the air and striking together with precision. The sound echoed around them and Karai realized that the students had stopped to watch them, as she had hoped. Momentarily distracted she caught the brunt of Leonardo's blow against her _tanto_ and stumbled back a few steps. She recovered quickly by diving under his outstretched arms and coming in close with the _nekote_. The tips ripping through the fabric and flesh at his side. The turtle hissed and struck with the hilt of his sword to push her back, catching the kunoichi on the shoulder.

Karai held firmly to the smile on her face as she slid away to gain her balance. Leonardo followed quickly and a blow to her leg had her almost sprawling to the ground. She rolled and came back up on her feet. The two of them continued their sword dance - trading blows and making the steel sing. Everything and everyone else melted away around them. The soft rustles and hushed whispers of the recruits fell away. All that remained were two warriors of like mind and spirit, despite outward appearances. Time slowed to a crawl for just an instant and her breath stilled. A fraction of a moment later, she felt cold steel pressed against her throat and the world around her rushed back in. A small sting on her skin, like a paper cut, sent a shiver through her. Karai's arm was outstretched too, with her _tanto_ pressed likewise at the _chunin's_ throat. The smallest bead of blood stood out against forest green skin.

Warm amber eyes turned to gaze at her in a way she had never been looked upon. Both warriors were breathing heavily with sweat glistening over their skin. Leonardo was the first to break contact. He stepped away and sheathed his sword quickly. He bowed to Karai. One closed fist against an open palm. "Thank you for the spar, Karai-san." She felt the loss of contact profoundly, but couldn't exactly come to terms with the feeling or reason behind it. She returned his bow after a moment. There was a small round of clapping from the students and whooping. Leonardo hushed them with a smile and dismissed the group. As the class dispersed Karai nodded to him in passing as she headed out of the dojo. 

"Karai," the sound of Leonardo's voice stopped her steps and she looked back at him over her shoulder. Leonardo was wiping the sweat from his brow as he said, "I enjoyed the challenge." Karai felt a flutter of something in her stomach and chastised herself for her weakness. Her purpose for coming to the dojo had been to test the turtle, not vice versa. "Anytime, _chunin_ ," and with those words she stepped out into the hallway beyond.


End file.
